German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced she will not run for re-election as chairwoman of Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the BBC reports. The announcement follows an election in the state of Hesse in which the CDU took a big hit. Merkel has been chair of the CDU since 2000 and chancellor since 2005. Merkel has reportedly said she would like to remain chancellor until 2021, when Germany next has federal elections, but her decision to resign as party leader could prompt a race within the CDU to find her successor as chancellor. The CDU is due to elect a party leader in December.